News Brief

10/21/2004, Cheshvan 6, 5765

Rabbis Who Oppose Refusing Military Orders

(IsraelNN.com) Despite the ruling by Rabbi Avraham Shapira and other leading Torah scholars, there are prominent rabbis who feel the need to express their opposition to soldiers disobeying orders, even orders instructing them to remove Jews from their homes as per the Gaza Disengagement Plan.

Efrat Chief Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, who also serves as dean on the Or Stone Academy educational network has announced he remains an opponent of the Gaza plan but also opposes calls instructing soldiers to disobey orders. Rabbi Riskin does support calls for a national referendum on the issue.

Joining his viewpoint are Rabbis Yoel Bin-Nun, Aaron Lichtenstein, and Yehuda Amital. The latter two are well-known Torah scholars who also have a significant following. Rabbi Bin-Nun, the former spiritual leader of the community of Ofrah is a veteran Yesha personality and known for his dovish viewpoints.

The rabbis fear that calls for insubordination may lead to a breakdown of the IDF and Zionism, with Rabbi Riskin explaining there are precedents for such actions in the Talmud.